A Thesis
Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
The Strata One Degree
LAELATI CAHYANI
NIM. 104026000958
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
LETTERS AND HUMANITIES FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY “SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH”
JAKARTA
A Thesis
Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
The Strata One Degree
LAELATI CAHYANI
NIM. 104026000958
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
LETTERS AND HUMANITIES FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY “SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH”
JAKARTA
i
APPROVEMENT
FEMINIST IDEAS IN FILM MONA LISA SMILE
A Thesis
Submitted to Letters and Humanities Faculty In Partial Fulfillment of the RequirementS for
The Strata One Degree
LAELATI CAHYANI 104026000958
Approved by: Advisor
Elve Oktafiyani, M. Hum Nip. 150 317 725
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
LETTERS AND HUMANITIES FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY “SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH”
JAKARTA
2009
ii
ABSTRACT
Laelati Cahyani. Feminist Ideas in Film Mona Lisa Smile. Thesis. Jakarta: State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, 2009.
This analysis aims to know what kind of intimidations experienced by main character and how the main character shows the feminism ideas in her fighting against the intimidations she experienced in Mona Lisa Smile film by analyzing the evidences from the dialogues in the film, her acts, and her statements. To get the feminist value the writer uses Descriptive-Qualitative analysis as the method to analyze the relationship between the main character and feminism theory.
iii
A thesis entitled “Feminist ideas in Film Mona Lisa Smile have been defended
before the Letters and Humanities Faculty’s Examination Committee on February
2009. The thesis has already been accepted as a partial fulfillment of the requirement
for the degree of Letters Scholar.
Jakarta, February 19, 2009
Examination Committee
Chair Person,
Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M.Pd. NIP. 150 299 480
Secretary,
Drs. A. Saefuddin, M.Pd. NIP. 150 261 902
Members:
Examiner I
Dr. Frans Sayogie, M.Pd. NIP.150 299 481
Examiner II
iv
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this submission is her own work and that, to the best of
her knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by
another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the
award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher
learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.
Jakarta, February 19, 2009
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, the writer would like to thanks to Allah SWT, Lord of the universe
and the day after. Thank you God for always helping her, and guiding her in every
step that she makes and in living her life. Peace and blessing be upon our prophet
Muhammad SAW and all of his friends and followers.
The writer would like to express her gratitude to her parents. Thank you so
much for your financial support, prayers, hope, and all the contributions. And special
thanks to her mom. Thank you mom for bringing her into this world and taking care
of her patiently and affectionately since the writer was a child. Yo ur advices and
rebukes give her strength in living this life. You are her biggest motivator in this
world. Thank you for always being there for her.
The writer also wants to thank to her brother and sisters for supporting the
writer in finishing her thesis. Thank you so much for her brother, Teguh, for picking
her up anytime and anywhere, and being so handy; for her sisters, Selly and Nadia,
for cheering her up and becoming so patient in listening to all her stories and
grievances.
The writer cannot fail to mention her advisor Elve Oktafiyani, M. Hum, For
her guidance and contribution in finishing this thesis for being patient in giving her
advice to finish this thesis.
The writer wish to say gratitude to the following persons:
1. Dr. H. Abdul Chair, M.A the Dean of English Letters Department State Islamic
University “Syarif Hidayatullah” Jakarta.
2. Dr. H. Muhammad Farkhan M.Pd the head of English Letters Department.
3. Drs. A. Saefuddin, M.Pd. the secretary of English Letters Department.
4. All lecturers of English Letters Department for teaching her during her study at
vi
5. Miss Rosida Erowati for guiding and helping her finishes this thesis. Thank you
for your time, patience and kindness. Thank you for never getting tired of
teaching her and giving her advice.
6. All her best friends: Yanti, for her support, sharing, discussion and friendship for
all this time; Nia, Woro, and Velma for her time in sharing and discussion.
Darma, Noe, Amel, and Kiki thanks to fill her days with smile and laughter.
7. All her friends in C class that the writer cannot mention one by one. Thank you to
fill her college days with smile and laughter.
8. All her friends at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah that the writer cannot mention one by
one. Thank you for being so kind to her for all this time.
May Allah bless us. Finally, the writer realizes that this thesis is far from
being perfect. Accordingly, the writer hopes any suggestion and criticism for this
thesis.
Jakarta, February 19, 2009
vii
TABLE OF CONTENT
ABSTRACT ... i
APPROVEMENT ... ii
LEGALIZATION ... iii
DECLARATION ... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... vii
LIST OF APPENDIXES ... ix
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Focus of the Research ... 4
C. Questions of the Research ... 5
D. Significance of the Research ... 5
E. The Objective of the Research ... 5
F. Research Methodology ... 6
1. Method of the Research ... 6
2. Data Analysis ... 6
3. Research Instrument ... 6
4. Analysis Unit ... 7
CHAPTER II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ... 8
A. Feminism ... 8
B. Feminist Theory ... 14
C. History of Feminism ... 16
1. First Wave Feminism ... 16
viii
3. Third Wave Feminism ... 19
CHAPTER III. RESEARCH FINDINGS ... 21
A. The intimidations experienced by Katherine Watson related to women role in film Mona Lisa Smile ... 21
B. Katherine and Feminist Ideas ... 27
CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION ... 42
A. Conclusion ... 42
B. Suggestion ... 44
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 45
ix
LIST OF APPENDIXES
1. The DVD Cover of Movie “Mona Lisa Smile”
2. Summary of Movie “Mona Lisa Smile”
3. The Script of Movie “Mona Lisa Smile”
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
In the early times women have been uniquely viewed as a creative source of
human life. Historically, however, they have been considered not only intellectually
inferior to men but also a major source of temptation and evil.1 Throughout most of
history, women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than
men have. In many nation women are not fully equals under the law: they do not have
the same rights to make a contract, the same right of association, mobility, and
religious liberty2.
Women in the world are lack of support for fundamental functions of human
life. They are less well noticed than men, less healthy, and more vulnerable to
physical violence and sexual abuse. They are likely much less than a man that has to
be literate, and still less likely to have professional or technical education. They must
attend hard work place, they face greater obstacles including intimidation from family
or spouse, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment in the workplace-all, frequently,
without effective legal recourse3.
1
http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=295706. accessed on September 28.2008 2
Women’s History of America Presented by Women’s International Center.http://www. wic.org/misc/history.htm. Accessed on September 28.2008
3
In the past, women are considered as second-class citizens, and not permitted
to own property, maintain wages, sign a contract, vote or even hold an opinion to be
independent from their husbands. The resulting stereotype that "a woman's place is in
the home" has largely determined the ways in which women have expressed
themselves. Although some developments have freed women for roles other than
motherhood, the cultural pressure for women to become wives and mothers still
prevents many talented women from finishing college or pursuing careers.4
Traditionally a middle-class girl in Western culture tended to learn from her
mother's example such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for children, were the
behavior expected from her when she grew up. Tests made in the 1960s showed that
the scholastic achievement of girls was higher in the early grades than in high school.
The major reason given was that the girls own expectations declined because neither
their families nor their teachers expected them to prepare for a future other than that
of marriage and mother.
The stereotype of women in western culture especially in 1950s is wife and
mother. Being a wife and mother were regarded as women's most significant
professions. This condition often inspires the film industry to produce film which is
related to women culture especially in 1950s. That is what Mike Newell wants to
describe throughout the film of Mona Lisa Smile. It is a film about women’s
awareness of education. It is a 2003 American film that was produced by Revolution
Studios and Columbia Pictures, directed by Mike Newell, and starring Julia Roberts,
4
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, and Julia Stiles. The title refers to the Mona Lisa,
the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and the song of the same name, originally
performed by Nat King Cole, which was covered by Seal for the film. The film is a
loose adaptation of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a novel by Muriel Spark, and the
title refers to that text.
Mona Lisa Smile is a story of a woman, who happened to be living in
the early 1950s. Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) is a Berkeley graduate
who arrives at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts college
in Massachusetts, United States, to teach Art History. Initially her students try to
outsmart their teacher, which is a little surprising for her, however she does not let
them know about it. But she is very surprised when she knows the knowledge that
most of her students get at Wellesley and they aspire for is a wonderful husband, and
they do not care of pursuing any kind of professions. Because of that she wants to
make a difference to women at Wellesley College.
As a teacher and a woman, Katherine tries to open her student’s minds
through her teaching. She encourages her students to do whatever they want with
their lives. She always makes a difference and gives something new in her syllabus.
She uses her art teachings to tell her opinion to her students at Wellesley College that
they need not to conform to stereotypes of women to become housewives and
mothers. She gives suggest to her students that they can do two things at the same
of her students to apply to a law school. She thinks that they can be leaders in the
future.
Her ideas and ways of teaching are contrary to the methods deemed
acceptable by the school's directors, conservative women who believe firmly that
Katherine should not use her class to express her point of views and she should stick
only to teach art. Katherine is being intimidated. She is warned that she could be fired
if she continues to interact with students as she has been doing.
Although Katherine has been warned about her teaching that is not suitable
with the syllabus, that has been stated by the school, but she still uses her principle in
teaching at Wellesley. She feels that the young women at Wellesley College have the
right to pursue higher education and career. She believes that women need to be
changed if they want to achieve better futures.
This film shows Katherine’s persistence and fighting in making changes at
Wellesley, although she has to face many intimidations that come from people around
her there that dislike what she does. These show the feminist ideas in Katherine’s
character. That is why the writer wants to analyze this film by using feminist theory.
B. Focus of the Research
Based on the background of the study above, this research is focused on
extrinsic elements. The writer tries to analyze what intimidations experienced by
main character and how the main character in Mona Lisa Smile film shows feminist
C. Research Question
The questions in this research are:
1. What intimidations were experienced by Katherine Watson related to women
role in Mona Lisa Smile film?
2. How does Katherine Watson show feminist ideas in her fighting against the
intimidations she experienced in Mona Lisa Smile film?
D. Significance of the Research
This research aims to share the widest perception of women condition in
1950s as second class citizen and correlate the literary work to the progress of women
movement liberation. Moreover, it can give enlightenment to the other researchers in
exploring feminist ideas by using feminist theory developed by Betty Freidan.
E. The Objective of the Research
The objectives of this research are:
1. To understand what intimidations were experienced by Katherine Watson
related to women role in Mona Lisa Smile film.
2. To understand how Katherine Watson shows feminist ideas in her fighting
F. Research Methodology
In the research methodology, there are some important aspects such as
method, technique of data analysis, data analysis, and analysis unit.
1. Method of the Research
To strengthen the research questions and significant of the research, the
method that is used in this research is qualitative method. According to Bogdan &
Taylor in Moleong (2004:3) qualitative methodologies refer to research procedures
which produce descriptive data: people’s own written or spoken words and
observable behavior. This method describes and analyzes feminist ideas in film
“Mona Lisa Smile”.
2. Data Analysis
In this research, the data that is collected qualitatively analyzed. In this
analysis, the writer explains the data in this film by analyzing the main character in
Mona Lisa Smile film by using Feminist theory.
3. Research Instrument
The instrument that is used in this research is the writer herself. The writer
tries to get qualitative data about what intimidations experienced by the main
characters related to women role in Mona Lisa Smile film and how the main character
shows feminist ideas in her fighting against the intimidations she experienced in
data and classifying the main character in Mona Lisa Smile film itself. Furthermore,
the writer relates the existing text with the feminist theory.
4. Analysis Unit
Analysis unit that is used in this research is Mona Lisa Smile film. Mona Lisa
Smile is a 2003 American film that was produced by Revolution Studios and
Columbia Pictures, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark
Rosenthal.
5. Place and Time
This research is executed on the ninth semester of 2008 - 2009 academic years
at English Letters Department of State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah
8
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Feminism
Feminism is the belief in the right of women to have political, social, and
economic equality with men. The word feminism originated from the French word
feminisme in the nineteenth century, either as a medical term to describe the
feminization of male body, or to describe women with masculine traits5. It is a
discourse that involves various movements, theories, and philosophies which are
concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocate equality for women, and
campaign for women's rights and interests. When it was used in the United States in
the early part of the twentieth century it was only used to refer to one group of
women: ‘namely that group which asserted the uniqueness of women, the mystical
experience of motherhood and women’s special purity’ (Jaggar 1983: 5). It soon
became understood to denote a political stance of someone committed to changing
the social position of women. Since then the term has taken on the sense of one who
believes that women are subjugated because of their sex and that women deserve at
least formal equality in the eyes of the law.
5
Feminism concerns themselves with women’s inferior position in society and
with discrimination encountered by women because of their sex6. Furthermore, one
could argue that all feminists call for changes in the social, economic, political or
cultural order, to reduce and eventually overcome this discrimination against women.
And these lead women to a feminist movement.
According to Soenarjati Djajanegara the aim of feminist movement is “(…)
meningkatkan kedudukan dan derajat perempuan agar sama atau sejajar dengan
kedudukan serta derajat laki-laki.” Thus it is clear that the feminism’s aim is to have
equal right and position between women and men. The main objective of feminism is
to encourage the idea that women and men are totally different in biology but have
the same position and rights.7
In the early nineteenth century, feminist movement demanded in the law,
economic and social field. They considered the political right was not needed. In
economic, feminist demanded property right. Before marriage, the property belonged
to their father and their husband. After the women get married, it automatically
becomes the property of their husbands. Furthermore, almost working fields were
limited of women. In social life, demand was to get the same opportunity in education
as men.8 In the past men wanted the women to be good housewife who manage
household and family. As a result they could only spend their lives in domestic.
6
Jane Freedman, Concept in The Social Sciences Feminism .(Buckingham: Open University Press, 2001), p. 1
7
Soenarjati Djajanegara, Kritik Sastra feminis, (Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama. 2003), p.4 8
The feminist movement of the nineteenth century had several different
streams of thought within it. Olive Banks (1981), writing of the British and American
scene, separated three groups; the evangelical, the Enlightenment and the
communitarian socialist traditions9. Each grouping had its roots in the late eighteenth
century. The evangelical feminists drew their inspiration from their religious beliefs
(Quakers, Unitarians, and other non-conformists) and were focused on the social
issues of the day. Their feminism was closely related to campaigns to abolish slavery,
introduce temperance, and attack prostitution, pornography and immorality. The
second group of feminism identified by Banks (1981) drew inspiration from the
Enlightenment which swept intellectual circles Europe in the late eighteenth century.
John Stuart and Mary Wollstonecraft were the central figures in this tradition. They
emphasized the importance of rational thought, evidence, and the theoretical ideas of
the rights, autonomy and individualism. The communitarian socialist tradition grew
out of the French Saint-Simonian movement, and then added Marxist ideas in the
later part of the century. Among those who were inspired by socialism are those
Banks calls Utopians, who anted communal living, free love and pooled
child-rearing.
In addition, according to Concept in the social sciences feminism by Jane
freedman there are basic version of this categorization would divide feminisms and
feminists into three loose groups: liberal feminists, Marxist or socialist feminism, and
9
radical feminism. Liberal feminism (equal opportunities), draws on the diversity of
liberal thought dominant in Western society since the Enlightenment, and affirms that
women’s subordinate social position can be addressed by existing political processes
under democracy. For liberals the key battle is access to education; following Mary
Wollstonecraft, it is argued that if men and women are educated equally, then it
follows that they will get equal access to society. In addition, liberal feminists would
be more likely to accept in limited terms that women and men might well be suited to
the separate spheres of home and workplace and simply lobby for greater recognition
of housework and caring (the wages for housework debate in the 1970s emerged
largely from this position).
Socialist or Marxist feminism (for Further discussion of the differences and
similarities, see Whelehan 1995) links changes in women’s social conditions with the
overthrow of industrial capitalism and changing relations of the worker to the means
of production. For them, revolution is the only answer, although as time has gone on
socialist feminists have become more cynical about the prospect of a socialist
revolution effecting a change in the lives of women, given the tenacious ideological
grip of the current meanings of gender differences. Nonetheless, socialist/Marxist
feminists are always mindful of the way society is riven by class and race distinctions
as well as those of gender and that it is more useful to consider oppression as
multi-pronged and inter related rather than arguing that one form is more destructive than
This assumption that men as part of the problem should be part of the solution
was a theme in early radical feminism, even though radical feminism is usually
associated in the popular consciousness with separatism and man-hating. Radical
feminists see men’s domination of women, as the result of the system of patriarchy,
which is independent of all other social structures-that is, is it not a product of
capitalism. Radical feminists, particularly in the USA, emerged largely from new left
and civil rights political groupings. Their politics was broadly radical left, but they
become hugely disenchanted with the male-dominated power play witnessed in
left-wing radical groupings and formed the Women’s Liberation Movement in order to
allow a space for the consideration of women’s oppression outside of the confines of
male-oriented knowledge and politics. Their conviction that women-centered politics
could only be devised in a women-only space led to a policy of separatism, at least at
the level of policy –making and meetings. This politics of radicalism, while drawing
political lessons from the new left and civil right movements, wanted a political
formation freed from the taint of maleness and therefore espoused leaderless
groupings, job-sharing and structurelesness- well beyond the parameters of
contemporary democracy. Many of their aspirations have been ridiculed or
misunderstood by others and radical feminists are all too often sent up as dungarees,
man-hating lesbians, totally obsessed with the politically correct, partly because of
the way in which they wanted to shape their own movement was intended to reflect
Feminist groupings have always contained representations from women of
color, working class women and lesbians/bisexual women; yet many became
increasingly disenchanted by the ways in which their involvement in the movement
rendered their own identities and concerns invisible, despite the rhetoric of reflecting
the peeds of all women.
The historical development of feminist (especially in Britain and the USA) is
commonly divided into several key periods, some characterized by a relative absence
of feminist thought and mobilization, and others by the sustained growth both of
feminist criticism and of activism with a high public profile.10 The earlier period
(dating from at least the mid to late nineteenth century up until about the 1920s),
became “first wave” feminism. In turn, the resurgent feminist analyses and activism
dating from the 1960s became ‘second wave’ feminism.
The different feminist positions that have been articulated since the 1970s
have generated different research agendas for education (Weiner 1994). However,
both first-wave and second-wave feminism have been concerned with the education
and intellectual development and opportunities for women, along with tackling
violence against women and children raising the status of women’s and children’s
health, and ensuring that female voices and experiences are treated seriously.
10
B. Feminist Theory
Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, or philosophical
ground.11 Feminist theory aims to understand the nature of inequality and focuses on
gender politics, power relations and sexuality. While generally providing a critique of
social relations, much of feminist theory also focuses on analyzing gender inequality
and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues. Themes explored in
feminism include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification (especially sexual
objectification), oppression, and patriarchy.
Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements. Feminist theory is
based on a series of assumptions. First, it assumes that men and women have different
experiences; that the world is not the same for men and women. Some women think
the experiences of women should be identical to the experiences of men. Secondly,
feminist theory assumes that women’s oppression is not a subset of some other social
relationship.12
Feminist theory assumes that women’s oppression is a unique constellation of
social problems and has to be understood in itself, and not as a subset of class or any
other structure. So feminist theory assumes that the oppression of women is part of
the way the structure of the world is organized, and that one task of feminist theory is
to explain about how and why this structure evolved.
11
http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/Feminism.htm, accessed on January 2, 2009. 12
Feminist theory names this structure “patriarchy,” and assumes that a
historical force that has a material and psychological base. Patriarchy is the system in
which men have more power than women have, and have more access to whatever
society esteems. What society esteems obviously various from culture to culture; but
if you look at the spheres of power, you will find that all who have it are male.13 This
is a long-term historical fact rooted in real things. It is not question of bad attitudes; it
is not a historical accident - there are real advantages to men in retaining control over
women.
Feminist theory has several purposes. The first is to understand the power
differential between men and women. Secondly, the purpose is to understand
women’s oppression-how it evolved, how it changes over times, how it is related to
other forms of oppression, and finally, how to change our oppression. A third purpose
of feminist theory is to overcome oppression. Feminist theory is the foundation of
action and there is no pretense that theory can be neutral.
Within feminist theory is a commitment to charge oppressive structures and to
connect abstract ideas with concrete problems for political action. It is senseless to
study the situation of women without a concomitant commitment to do something
about it. The theorist has to draw out the consequence of the theory and use life
experience as a part of her basis for understanding, for feeding into the development
of theory.
13
C. History of Feminism 1. First Wave Feminism
First-wave feminism refers to a period of feminist activity during the
nineteenth century and early twentieth century in the United Kingdom and the United
States14. First wave feminism movements that were concerned (although not
exclusively) with gaining equal rights for women, particularly the right of suffrage.
In particular, the French Revolution of 1798 is often identified as the arena in
which the first concerted demands for women’s right were made. Moreover, it was an
important influence on Mary Wollstonecraft, whose Vindication of the rights of
Women, published in Britain in 1792, is widely recognized as the first substantial and
systematic feminist treatise15. Certainly, A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)
presents many of the questions that have concerned later feminist cultural theorists:
question about women’s relation to (the dominant) culture, to power, to discourse, to
identity, to lived experience, to cultural production and to representation.16
According to Wollstonecraft in the book Feminist Thought by Rosemary
Putnam Tong, she said that until century ago, women still lived in the darkness, they
are helpless because they are still under controlled by men. Nowadays women have
the right to work and build their own career. It shows that women have the right to
14
First wave feminism. accessed on October 16, 2008. wikipedia the free encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism
15
Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan (2004), op. cit. 16
get a higher education and to live in their own or being independent person. So in
first wave feminism focused upon absolute rights such as suffrage.
2. Second Wave Feminism
Second wave feminism is a term used to describe a new period of feminist
collective political activism and militancy, which emerged in the late 1960s. The
concept of “wave” of feminism was itself only applied in the late 1960s and early
1970s and therefore its application to a previous era of female activism tells us a great
deal about the dawning second wave.
Whereas the first wave lobbied for women’s enfranchisement via the vote and
access to the professions as well as the right to own property, the second wave
feminist talked in terms of ‘liberation’ from the oppressiveness of a patriarchally
defined society. Equality had not been achieved by enfranchisement and so it was
time to reflect on life beyond the public sphere17. So second-wave feminism refers to
the resurgence of feminism activity in the late 1960s and 1970s, when protest again
centered around women’s inequality, although this time not only in terms of women’s
lack of equal political rights but in the areas of family, sexuality and work.
The movement encouraged women to understand aspects of their own
personal lives as deeply politicized, and reflective of a sexist structure of power.
Liberal feminism’s second stage, we saw, seek equality of opportunity; though in
17
practice that can mean parity, at various levels, with men18. So Second-wave
feminism was largely concerned with other issues of equality, such as the end to
discrimination.
In the book of American History it is told that during the 1950s and 1960s
increasing numbers of married women entered the labor force, but in 1963, the
average working women earned only 63 percent of what a man made. In that year, a
women author, Betty Friedan, published The Feminine Mystique, an explosive
critique of middle-class patterns that helped millions of women articulate a pervasive
sense of discontent. Arguing that women often had no outlets for expression other
than “finding a husband and bearing children,” Friedan encouraged readers to seek
new roles and responsibilities, to seek their own personal and professional identities
rather than have them defined by the outside, male-dominated society.
Such a system causes women to completely lose their identity in that of their
family. Friedan specifically locates this system among post-World War II
middle-class suburban communities. At the same time, America's post-war economic boom
had led to the development of new technologies that were supposed to make
household work less difficult, but that often had the result of making women's work
less meaningful and valuable.
18
Women themselves took measure to improve their lot. In 1966, 28
professional women, including Betty Friedan, established the National Organization
for Women (NOW) to take action brings American women into full participation in
the mainstream of American society now. NOW and similar organizations helped
make women increasingly aware of their limited opportunities and strengthened their
resolve to increase them. 19
3. Third Wave Feminism
The Third-wave of feminism began in the early 1990s. The movement arose
as responses to perceived failures of the second-wave. It was also a response to the
backlash against initiatives and movements created by the second-wave. Third-wave
feminism seeks to challenge or avoid what it deems the second wave's "essentialist"
definitions of femininity, which (according to them) over-emphasized the experiences
of upper middle class white women. A post-structuralist interpretation of gender and
sexuality is central too much of the third wave's ideology. Third wave feminists often
focus on "micropolitics," and challenged the second wave's paradigm as to what is, or
is not, good for females.
The history of Third Wave feminism predates this and begins in the mid
1980s. This focus on the intersection between race and gender remained prominent
through the Hill-Thomas hearings, but began to shift with the Freedom Ride 1992.
This drive to register voters in poor minority communities was surrounded with
19
rhetoric that focused on rallying young feminists. For many, the rallying of the young
is the emphasis that has stuck within third wave feminism.
From all concept of feminist ideas, the writer uses feminist theory developed
by Betty Friedan in second wave feminism in analyzing Mona Lisa smile film. The
reason why the writer uses this theory is because it talks about the liberal feminism
that seeks the right equality in social life, though in practice that can mean parity, at
various levels, with men. Beside that, the condition in that film also appropriate with
the condition of American women in 1953 who seek rights in education, career and a
21
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH FINDINGS
A. The intimidations experienced by Katherine Watson related to women role in film Mona Lisa Smile
Mona Lisa smile tells about a woman lecturer at Wellesley College, a
University that prepares women to manage household and teaches how to become
good housewives to their husband. The title of Mona Lisa smile in this film suggests
similar situation of the main character in Mona Lisa Smile film that always smiles,
although in fact a pile of dilemma destroy her. This condition has a similarity with the
famous painting of Leonardo Da Vinci titled Mona Lisa smile. Even though Mona
Lisa’s lip is adorned with smile but there is a deep sadness implied in her eyes20.
In this chapter, the writer discusses Katherine Watson as a main character in
Mona Lisa Smile film. As a main character, Katherine Watson is described as a
beautiful woman (see the picture 1 and 2). Although her costume and make up is not
really conspicuous among women at Wellesley College but her beauty is admitted by
Giselle Levy, one of her students in Wellesley. This is showed in Giselle’s attempt to
show Katherine’s appearance. See the quotation below.
Giselle : Do I look a little bit like her? Connie : Like who?
Giselle : Katherine Watson. Betty : You mean, "crap is art"? Giselle : I think she's fabulous.
In the dialogue above, Giselle praise Katherine’s appearance. She even tries to
look like her although her friends do not agree with her and insult Katherine.
However she keeps defending her opinion by imitating Katherine’s appearance in
front of mirror (See picture 3). It shows that Katherine is a beautiful woman and it
admitted by one of her students, Giselle.
In this film Katherine Watson is also described as an educated woman. It is
shown when she studies at UCLA graduate school.
Katherine : And I got to go to graduate school. Connie : UCLA, right?
Katherine is not only an educated woman but she is also a woman who is
aware about education especially for women. That is why she becomes teacher in
Oakland State senior high school. Her awareness about education is also shown when
she wants to teach at Wellesley College.
In the opening of this film, Katherine is also depicted as a persistent woman.
It is narrated that Katherine has wanted to teach at Wellesley College all her life. She
pursues it until she gets it. Here is the quotation narrated by her student, Betty:
From the narration above, we can see that it is very difficult to get a position
at Wellesley College but Katherine tries so hard to get that position. She pursues it
until she is hired. And her effort is not useless. She gets the position as an Art History
teacher.
In this film Katherine’s appearance is narrated and visualized as a perfect
woman. However that condition does not avoid Katherine from accepting
intimidations from people around her in Wellesley. The first disrespectful treatment
she experienced is when she teaches her class. Initially her students try to outsmart
her. All of her students have already mastered all the material in syllabus that she will
teach. Her face is very pale at that time (see the picture no 4). And then her students
disregard her by leaving the class although the class is not finished yet (see the
picture 5). This situation makes Katherine fells insecure.
Katherine : Could someone please get...? Thank you. By a show of hands only how many of you have read the entire text?
Susan : And the suggested supplements. Giselle : Long way from Oakland State? Katherine : Well, you girls do prepare.
Betty : If you've nothing else for us, we could go to independent study.
Katherine also gets disrespectful treatment from one of her student, Betty
when she warns Betty’s attendance in her class. She wants her students discipline in
her class. Katherine does not give looseness attendance to her students that get
Betty : Well, thank God I didn't miss the paint-by-numbers lecture. I was on my honeymoon and then I had to set up house. What does she expect?
Katherine : Attendance.
Connie : Most of the faculty turns their heads when the married students miss a class or two.
Katherine : Then why not get married as freshmen? That way you could graduate without actually ever stepping foot on campus. Betty : Don't disregard our traditions just because you're subversive. Katherine : Don't disrespect this class just because you're married.
Betty : Don't disrespect me just because you're not. Katherine : Come to class, do the works or I'll fail you. Betty : If you fail me, there will be consequences
From dialogue above, Katherine wants her students discipline in her class. But
Betty uses the college’s policy to refuse Katherine’s rules in her class. Katherine is
very angry and she tries to ridicule the students. But Katherine’s opinion about the
college’s policy for married students gets disrespectful treatment by Betty. Katherine
gets the hard protest by Betty. She assumes Katherine disregard the rules that
established by the college that give looseness attendance to their student have get
married. She also assumes that she disregard the college’s policy because she is not
married. She also thinks that Katherine is subversive that wants to change the
tradition that they hold in Wellesley College.
Katherine’s opinion about a marriage is what offends some of her students
and this makes her look like an unorthodox, subversive, and a liberal woman
according to the standards of that time. Betty thinks that Katherine brings a negative
inspiration for the Wellesley girls because she applies a modern way of teaching and
suggests a new idealism about how to be a woman; therefore she tries to find a way to
Married Wellesley girls have become quite adept at balancing obligations. One hears such comments as: "I baste the chicken with one hand and outline the paper with the other.” While our mothers were called to work for Lady Liberty. It is our duty, nay, obligation to reclaim our place in the home bearing the children that will carry our traditions into the future. One must pause to consider why Miss Katherine Watson instructor in the Art History department has decided to declare war on the holy sacrament of marriage. Her subversive and political teachings encourage our Wellesley girls to reject the roles they were born to fill.
Seeing from the quotation above, Betty assumes that Katherine is one of
woman that confronts a marriage. It makes Katherine feels angry. She feels that it is a
slander because she never encourages her students to reject the roles that they believe,
although she is not marriage. She just assumes that every relationship is not always to
be ended with marriage. Because she thinks marriage is not the one purpose of her
life. There are many options beside marriage and caring family such as having higher
education and career.
Giselle : She got engaged over Christmas! The students : Congratulations!
Giselle : I'm sorry to blab.
Joan : It's just so romantic. How fantastic! Katherine : We split up.
Joan : What?
Katherine : We split up. Well, that was fast. Well, not every relationship is meant for marriage.
In her professional life at Wellesley, Katherine gets intimidation from
President Carr, the head Master of Wellesley College. Katherine is warned that her
contract in college will be finished if she continues to interact with the students
President Carr : I have been getting some calls about your teaching methods, Katherine. They are a little unorthodox for Wellesley. We are traditionalists, Katherine.
Katherine : Yes, I noticed.
President Carr : So if you would like to stay here. Katherine : Is that a question?
President Carr : More a discussion. Katherine : About my staying here?
President Carr : You'll have your formal review in May. Until then a little less modern art.
President Carr : Happy holidays. Katherine : And to you
From the dialog above we can assume that the faculty cannot accept
Katherine’s modern methods of teaching in her class at Wellesley because they are
still traditional. And they think Katherine’s way of teaching is unorthodox for
Wellesley. She must stop the way of her teaching such as give a new material beyond
the lecturer and give her lesson out of class. She must follow the rules established.
So, they warn Katherine that she could be if she still continues to teach the student
with her own way, she will be fired. Although she gets complaint from boards of
Wellesley about her ways in teach and she will be fired if she does not follow the
rules established. But she defends her idealism to teaching the students with her own
way.
However, Katherine takes all the intimidations as a motivation to make
positive changes at Wellesley College. She wants to change the mindset of her
students that still hold the tradition established by the college. Katherine sees
teaching art history as an opportunity to open the girls’ minds, enabling them to see
open the young women’s minds at Wellesley College represent feminist ideas. Those
will be discussed in the next discussion.
B. Katherine and Feminist Ideas
One of the aims of Feminist Criticism is to expose patriarchal premises and
resulting prejudices. It also aims to identify and oppose the various ways women are
excluded, suppressed and exploited.21 In other words, women should not have
opportunities in all sectors for example in politics, economy, education and social
life. The stereotype of women that "a woman's place is in the home" has largely
determined the ways in which women have expressed themselves.
The movement of feminism focuses on removing the self-awareness of
women about their under developed position in society. It is important because most
women, who live in a patriarchal society, do not aware that they are opposed by
patriarchy. In addition, women have been stereotyped too many times, and the film
Mona Lisa Smile is a good example in recognizing those stereotypes.
Mona Lisa Smile sets at Wellesley College in the early 1950s (see the picture
no 6 and 7). The purpose of the film is to construct the viewer’s perspective and to
transform the world in which Katherine lives. This film shows how women are
labeled to certain stereotype and are not suggest doing two things at the same times,
such as having career and family.
21
The main character in this film is Katherine Watson. She has landed her
dream job at Wellesley Girls College and her chance to influence the best female
minds in the USA. She is very surprised when she knows the knowledge that most of
her students at Wellesley aspire for is a wonderful husband and they do not care of
pursuing any kind of professions. Because of that she wants to change the mindset the
girls that have established by College. It is shown in the beginning of the film when
she comes for the first time to Wellesley. Katherine wants to teach at Wellesley
College, a conservative woman’s private liberal art college in Massachusetts, United
States. She becomes an Art History teacher at Wellesley College. She comes to the
Wellesley College to make a different, as narrated by Betty.
Katherine Watson didn't come to Wellesley to fit in. She came to Wellesley becauseshe wanted to make a difference.
From the explanation above, Katherine wants to make change the point of
view of Wellesley Board of school and the students about women rules to conform to
stereotype of women to become housewives and mother. Because she thinks that
women have the same right and position in society. They have right to pursuing their
goal beside marriage.
Moreover, Katherine’s desire to make a change at Wellesley can also be seen
when she meets Professor Will. When Katherine goes to a bar to get some drinks, she
meets with Professor Will there. He says that Katherine is a progressive woman who
has forwards thinking. Beside that, he also says that Katherine comes to Wellesley to
Will : Yeah, they say you're progressive, a forward thinker. Are you? Katherine : There are a lot of labels here. I have noticed. Right family,
right school, right art, right way of thinking. Will : Well, saves the effort on thinking for yourself.
Katherine : How do you expect to ever make a difference if everything is a joke?
Will : Oh, Katherine Watson comes to Wellesley to set us all free? Come on.
Katherine : Thank you for the drink.
From that dialogue, we can see that the college has the standard mindset about
right family, right school, and right art at the time. That is why she want to change the
girls mindset about new perspectives in life beside the standard mindset that
established by the college. She shows it clearly in every chance that she has from the
ways she teaches her students and her thought. That is why almost everyone in
Wellesley knows about her personality that is progressive and her mission to make a
change. On the other hand, her seriousness about what she believes is offended by
will’s statement that assumes that thing just as a joke.
Like it has been discussed before, Katherine Watson has gotten some
intimidation from people around her such as her students, board of Wellesley
College, etc. However, she is successful in using those intimidations to motivate her
to think positively.
When Katherine gets disrespectful treatments at the first time she teaches her
class, she tries to survive at Wellesley College by her idealism. She never gives up on
think forward and progressive in their life. She thinks that they have an opportunity to
do whatever they want in their life.
Depart from intimidation that Katherine accepts, it becomes a motivation for
her to make a difference at Wellesley College. She finds a way to solve her problem
by herself. She does not look for any helps or reference from anyone. So, on her
second day in class she makes a change. She makes a new material syllabus beyond
the lecture. One of the realizations of that attempt is to change the point of view of
her students at Wellesley College. It can be assumed from the quotation below:
Betty : What is that?
Katherine : You tell me. Carcass by Soutine. . Susan : It's not on the syllabus.
Katherine : No, it's not. Is it any good? Come on, ladies. There's no wrong answer.
The girls : There's also no textbook………..
Katherine : Telling you what to think. It's not that easy, is it?
From the explanation above, we can see that Katherine uses the new material
to teach her students. She is well prepared to teach art which material is not in the
textbook, such as Chaim Soutine's Carcass of Beef. She wants to introduce to the girls
at Wellesley about new art beyond the lecturer. Beside thatshe encourages the girls to
tell what they think about the art and create new perspective.
From the quotation above, Katherine tries to give some new painting in her
syllabus. The purpose is to ask the girls to think in a new perspective. She wants her
students to give opinion and create new ideas.
Her persistent to make her students to think in a new perspective it shown
when she encourages her students to study in the different place expect the class (see
the picture no 8).
The student : Which way?
Katherine : Let me just see here. I'm not sure. The student : Where are we supposed to go?
Katherine : I think it's here. Come this way. We're almost there. Joe. Hello.
We can see from the dialogue, she is also innovative in her teaching. She
gives her lesson out of class that is never been done by any teachers in Wellesley
before. It proves that learning process is not limited by place or time. She wants to
give a new atmosphere to her student because she thinks they should not study at the
same place such as class. She also encourages her students to see a new painting by
Jackson Pollack (see the picture no 9 and 10).
Giselle Levy : That's Jackson Pollock.
Joan : In a word.
Connie : I was getting used to the idea of dead, maggoty meat being art, now this.
The student : Please don't tell me we have to write a paper about it. Katherine : Do me a favor. Do yourselves a favor. Stop talking and look.
From the dialogue above, Katherine teaches a modern art, she uses painting of
Jackson Pollack which material is not on their syllabus. She tries to ask the students
to create new idea from the painting of Jackson Pollack. Katherine also gives her
students freedom to say what they think in her subject.
In traditional society, women do not have opportunity to get higher education,
or to have a certain job. Even though women have education, usually it is only just
for supporting her part as a wife and a mother.22
According to Rosemary Putnam Thong, society must give an education to all
women, just like men, because all human being have an equal right to get an
opportunity to expand the capacity of their intellectual activity and morality, so they
can become a personhood. The feminist uses education to free themselves as people
who are able to achieve the happiness and pleasure fulfillment. With education,
women can get a job that she really likes and can show herself, her ability and her
capacity.23
Katherine wants to liberate her students from a very conservative tradition.
One of the realizations of her effort to change the mindset her students is shown when
Katherine calls Joan to her office out of Wellesley College. She calls Joan because
Joan gets C in the task that is given by her. She wants to give a chance to Joan to
revise her paper.
22
Soenarjati Djajanegara, Kritik Sastra feminis, (Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama. 2003) 23
Joan : Yes, you do, but a very busy one.
Katherine : And it says here that you're pre-law. What law school are you gonna go to?
Joan : I hadn't thought about that. After I graduate, I'm getting married.
Katherine : And then?
Joan : And then I'll be married.
Katherine : You can do both. Just for fun, if you could go to any law school, which would it be?
Joan : Yale. Watson : Yale.
Joan : They keep five slots open for women, one unofficially for a Wellesley girl.
Katherine : But you haven't really thought about it.
As we see from the quotation above, Katherine uses that occasion to
encourage Joan to apply for a law school, something that Joan did not even consider.
However Joan does not take the opportunity to apply the law school because after her
finishing from Wellesley she chooses to get married. But Katherine tries to suggest
Joan to take the opportunity because she assumes that women can also do two things
at the same time, like having higher education and a family.
Katherine tries to register Joan in the Yale school. Tommy Joan’s boyfriend
appreciates to Katherine about what she does to Joan but him objectionable about
that. He thinks if they got married it is difficult to ask Joan to get dinner at five
o’clock if she school in Yale.
Tommy : No, nothing official Yet. I meant, I got into Penn. Grad school. Katherine : Congratulations. What about Yale?
Tommy : Yale? Oh, you mean Joanie. Yeah. How about that, huh? She is some girl.
Katherine : She's terrific.
Thanks to you. Miss Watson, you've been real swell to her. We both appreciate it.
Katherine : I'm sorry. "The fact that she got in," what does that mean? Tommy : Well, she'll be in Philadelphia with me. Well, that's an awful
long commute to get dinner on the table by five o’clock.
Although Tommy does not agree about what she does with Joan, her
persistent to encourage Joan accepts in Yale University it is not stoppable. It is shown
when Joan was accepted in Yale University. Katherine comes to Joan’s house to tell
her about the law school that Katherine offers to Joan although Joan refuses. As the
quotation below:
Katherine : Seven law schools within minutes of Philadelphia.
You can study and get dinner on the table by five o’clock. . Joan : It's too late.
Katherine : No. Some accept late admissions. I was upset at first. Joan, the guests. When Tommy told me that he got accepted to Penn, I thought "Her fate is sealed. How can she throw it all away?" I realized you won't have to. You could bake your cake and eat it too. It’s wonderful
From the explanation above, Katherine tries to motivate Joan to accept the law
school in Yale. And Katherine also tries to convince her that she actually can do both
having education and get dinner at five o’clock with Tommy. But Joan decided not to
go to Yale University because she chooses to get married and become a housewife.
Joan : We're married. We eloped over the weekend. Turned out he was petrified of a big ceremony so we did a sort of spur-of-the-moment thing very romantic. Look.
Katherine : It's beautiful.
Joan : It was my choice not to go. He would have supported it. Katherine : But you do not have to choose.
Joan : No, I have to. I want a home, a family. It is not something I'll sacrifice.
Joan : Think I'll wake up one day and regret not being a lawyer? Yes, I'm afraid that you will. Not as much as I'd regret not having a family. Not being there to raise them. I know exactly what I'm doing, and it doesn't make me any less smart. This must seem terrible to you.
Katherine : I didn't say that.
From the explanation above, we can say that Katherine always suggests
women to develop themselves before and after marriage. She thinks that Joan has the
right to get knowledge as high as possible. And she wants to open Joan’s mind that
women do not have to choose between school and marriage. For her marriage is not
prevention to someone to pursue their goal. Although Joan decides to choose
marriage compared with continuing her study, she keeps trying to convince Joan to
get both education and family.
According to Betty Friedan who published The Feminine Mystique, an
explosive critique of middle-class patterns that helped millions of women articulates a
pervasive sense of discontent, women often had no outlets for expression other than
“finding a husband and bearing children.” Friedan encouraged readers to seek new
roles and responsibilities, to seek their own personal and professional identities rather
than have them defined by the outside, male-dominated society.
It is also what Katherine does to her students. She wants to encourage the
students to seek their own personal and show their capability in society although she
gets disrespectfultreatments from an article written by her student, Betty. She never
encourages her students to reject the roles that they believe. She only wants to the
In one occasion, Katherine shows her students the portrait of women at that
time. In the class, she shows some slides of article in newspaper (see the picture no
11). That article shows women who become wives after graduating from senior high
school. She uses that article as a satire for her students. She wants to open her
students’ eyes that they have the same right with men. As quote below:
Katherine : What will the future scholars see when they study us?
A portrait of women today? There you are, ladies. The perfect likeness of a Wellesley graduate.
Magna cum laude, doing exactly what she was trained to do. Slide. A Rhodes scholar.
I wonder if she recites Chaucer while she presses her husband's shirts.
Slide. Now, you physics majors can calculate the mass and volume of every meat loaf you make.
Slide. A girdle to set you free. What does that mean? I give up. You win.
The smartest women in the country. I didn't realize that by demanding excellence. I would be challenging.
From the quotation, we can see that Katherine is sarcastic with the
graduated students of Wellesley. She regrets that the best graduates from Wellesley
only become good wives. She tries to encourage the students to open their minds that
women actually have same abilities as men have. However, for all this time it is not
explored and being underestimated by men. In addition, Katherine thinks that they do
not value it either. Besides that, she is also disappointed with the young women at
Wellesley College that only think about how to become a good wife. They are not
Katherine hopes that women at Wellesley College can become a leader or
become successful women not only good wives for men. But, she cannot find one
woman who did as she wished for. She is also disappointed with the school, which
only educates the students to become good wives.
Katherine : To hell with Wellesley. I'm done. Goddamn it! It's brilliant, really a perfect ruse. A finishing school disguised as a college. They got me.
Wills : What do you expect?
Katherine : More More. I thought it was a place for tomorrow's leaders, not their wives.
From the quotation above, she is very angry with Wellesley. She feels cheated
with that college, they disguised as a college to prepare her students to become good
wife to their husband. We can learn that Katherine is hoping more from the girls at
Wellesley College. She encourages her students to actualize themselves in public. She
thinks that women do not always have to become the stereotyped women whose place
is at home, but they can be a next leader if they want. Because she believes that
Wellesley College has the best and brightest female students who have the capability
of becoming next generation's leaders.
Katherine’s effort to stimulate her students’ mind about their true identity is
shown when she talks with her students out of class. She shows a Van Gough’s
painting to them (see the picture no 14).
Joan : Sunflowers. Vincent van Gogh 1888.
never sold a painting in his lifetime. This is his self-portrait. There's no camouflage, no romance, Honesty. Now, years later, where is he?
Giselle : Famous?
Katherine : So famous, in fact, that everybody has a reproduction. There are post cards. We have the calendar. With the ability to reproduce art, it is available to the masses. No one needs to own a van Gogh original.
Susan : We do in the Newport house but it's small, tiny
Katherine : They can paint their own. Van Gogh in a box ladies. The newest form of mass-distributed art: Paint by numbers. Connie : "Now everyone can be van Gogh. It's so easy. Just follow the
simple instructions...and in minutes, you're on your way to being an artist.
Giselle : "Van Gogh by numbers?
Katherine : Ironic, isn't it? Look at what we have done to the man who refused to conform his ideals to popular taste. Who refused to compromise his integrity. We have put him in a tiny box and asked you to copy him. So the choice is yours, ladies. You can conform to what other people expect or you can... Betty : I know be ourselves.
From the dialogue, we can see that Katherine wants to persuade her student to
change their perception. He gives an example of Van Gough’s painting. She explains
to them that Van Gough actually a truly genius painter but no one honors him or his
painting just because he uses his original idea in painting that is not same with most
of others painters. And he refuses to change it. He still persists to keep his own idea.
Finally years later, people realize his genius and honor him. This is what Katherine
wants her students to do. She does not want them to become like what people want
them to be like, a stereotype of ideal wives. They deserve to be what they want to be
